Food server



pr l 0, 1954 w. J. BRYAN ET A1.

FOOD SERVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1950 William J Bryan Joe E. Vr/a uvmvrozas 0, 1954 w. J. BRYAN ET AL 2,675,799

FOOD SERVER iled April 10, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n W s 5 w DWI/12km Bryan INVENTORS 0e ra BY flzwwflu MMFM Patente d Apr. 20, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOOD SERVER William J. Bryan and Joe E. Vrla, Dallas, Tex.

Application April 10, 1950, Serial No. 155,034

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to improvements in food servers, and particularly chafing dishes.

An object of this invention is to provide a structurally improved chafing dish and subcombinations thereof by arranging the structure so that extensibly arranged rods are carried by a base, said base being adapted to support a dish with food therein, and the rods having handles thereon provided with a means of clamping or looking the food retaining dish on the base or supports carried by the base in juxtaposition to a fuel container, which container is also carried by the base.

Other objects and features will become apparent to those skilled in the art, in following the description of the illustrated form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device showing in phantom adjusted positions of the handles and the means for holding a dish, schematically shown, on the base carried supporting members for the dish;

Figure 2 is an elevational side view of the device in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the structure in Figure 2; and

Figure 4. is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 and in the direction of the arrows, showing particularly the construction of the base, parallel rods and fuel container.

The device has broad fields of utility, as in restaurants, homes, cafes, or other eating places. The device may be used for the purpose of providing a decorative serving article or may be used for the more practical purpose of keeping food hot for the customers and in the home while the meal is being consumed.

A base, generally indicated at I0, is employed and consists of an upper frame I2 together with a lower frame I 4 spaced from the upper frame in order to form a pocket I 6. The upper frame I2 is composed of four sides (Figure 1), leaving a large central aperture 20 for a purpose to be detailed subsequently. The sides of the base are formed by portions of the four legs 22, 24, 25, and 28. Said legs have smoothly curved feet (unnumbered) which are adapted to retain the lower frame or panel [4 spaced from the table or other supporting device whereby an insulating air space is provided beneath this panel or frame l4. The legs are intentionally made of strip material as disclosed in Figure 2 in order to allow proper air circulation beneath the device to thereby prevent excessive heat from causing injury to the table or other support. However, if desired, a skirt may be employed in lieu of the legs 22, 24, 26 and 28.

Risers 32, 34, 3%, and 38, respectively, extend upwardly from the sides of the upper frame 12 in order to form a means of supporting a dish, schematically shown at 40 in Figure l, which rests on the upper surfaces thereof.

Slidably disposed in the pocket I4 is a fuel container or receptacle 42 which is adapted to be removably carried by the lower frame or panel I4. The container is inserted and removed from an entrance at one end of the pocket, said entrance being defined as the open end of the pocket. This fuel container is adapted to contain fuel for burning whereby a plate, dish, casserole, or the like, which is supported on the risersis maintained warm, thereby retaining the food therein warm for a duration, that is, until the fuel is exhausted.

Rods 44, 46, 48 and 50, respectively, are slidably disposed in the pocket l6, two of said rods being disposed on each side of the fuel container 42. These rods are slidable longitudinally, the rods moving in pairs whereby they are extensibly arranged with respect to each other.

At the end of each rod there is provided a stop 52 which may be in the form of a simple integral lateral projection adapted to engage a portion of the base, as an edge of the appropriate leg, to thereby limit the extent of travel or movement of the rod to which the stop is attached. Accordingly, there is a prescribed amount of movement allowed so that the rods cannot be inadvertently separated from the base.

A handle 54 is secured to the outer ends of the rods 46 and 50, while a handle 56 is secured to the outer ends of the rods 44 and 48. Accordingly, the handles cause the pairs of rods 46, 50 and 44, 48 to move in unison.

Means for clamping or looking the dish 40 on the upper surfaces of the risers are fixed to the handles 54 and 56. This means consists of clamping or looking members which extend from the handles. The locking member 60 (Figure 1) is typical of all of the locking members and consists of small projections adapted to overlie a small part of the upper edge of the typical dish 40.

The operation of the invention is believed selfevident. Fuel is provided in the container 42. An ordinary dish is simply rested on the risers after the handles 54 and 56 have been pulled outwardly to their limit, said limit being defined when the stops 52 engage the base for the stopping action. Then, the handles are moved toward each other, causing the rods to slide alongside of each other, until the locking members or clamping members 60 engage over the upper edge of the dish 42. The fuel is then ignited. The burning of the fuel retains the contents of the dish 40 warm.

For cleaning purposes or for packaging purposes, the handle 54 may be separated from the base by springing the rods 46 and 5e inwardly slightly so that the stops 52 pass through the pocket I 6. The same is true of the handle 56 together with its rods 44 and 43. The fuel container 42 is slid outwardly through its entrance and the device is thereby separated into four component parts.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

A food server comprising; a base including a horizontal frame defining an opening, supporting legs depending from said frame, horizontal bars mounted on the legs below the frame and spaced therefrom, a removable fuel pan slidably mounted on the bars beneath the opening, a plurality of members rising from the frame, a. dish mounted on said members over the fuel pan, pairs of spaced, parallel rods slidably mounted on the base and including upwardly inclined outer end portions engageable beneath the walls of the dish, substantially C-shaped operating handles fixed horizontally on the outer ends of the rod, the end portions of said handles being free and engageable over the periphery of the dish for securing same, in conjunction with said inclined end portions of the rods, in position on the members, and stops on the inner ends of the rods engageable with the base for limiting the outward sliding movement of said rods.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,155,033 Ball Sept. 28, 1915 1,465,464 Dillmeier Aug. 21, 1923 1,758,873 Wickes May 13, 1930 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 473,867 Great Britain Oct. 21, 1937 

